A self-made founder’s VC+PR model pairs capital with narrative power to break the 2% funding barrier for women, accelerating tech, health tech, media tech, and fintech across a 12-country network
Liana Zavo Founder & Investor of ZavoVentures with Victoria Yampolsky Founder of The Startup Station.
For years, Liana Zavolunova—widely known as Liana Zavo and celebrated as the “Mother of PR”—has been the force behind some of the most compelling brand stories in tech and service-based industries. Today, she formalizes the next chapter: the launch of ZavoVentures, her venture capital investment arm that takes a hybrid VC+PR approach to get women founders not only recognized, but funded. Six months into operating in stealth, ZavoVentures is now publicly debuting its model, fusing capital with strategic communications to help early-stage startups break through the stubborn 2% of venture funding that goes to women.
Recently, ZavoVentures joined their inaugural speed pitching event hosted and organized by startup and fundraising advisor Victoria Yampolsky, founder of The Startup Station. There, Zavo joined 11 other venture firms—to evaluate and champion promising tech startups. It was Zavo’s first speed pitching competition since initiating her VC arm, and it crystallized why her hybrid approach matters now. She assessed founders not only on product and traction, but on narrative strength and investability—the crucial difference between a promising startup and a fundable one.
Zavo’s ascent in venture builds on deep execution across PR and brand strategy. Over the past five years, she has advised more than 1,500 startups, helping them unearth their core story, structure market positioning, and translate complex innovations into compelling value propositions. She has applied this craft across technology and service-based sectors, including healthtech, legaltech, mediatech, fintech, and SaaS. When Zavo listens to a pitch today, she hears both the roadmap and the resonance: how the company will win, and how the market will believe it. “Great products don’t sell themselves—clear stories do,” Liana Zavo said. “My job is to help founders align message to metrics so investors see what customers already feel.”
Liana Zavo with female-tech company founder Valerie Thizo and VC analyst Diya Qu.
ZavoVentures’ edge is a hybrid model: capital plus built‑in PR from day one. By sharpening story, visibility, and launch sequencing, the firm turns strong products into loud signals—driving faster B2B2C investor conviction, stronger category position, and compounding momentum.
Zavo’s playbook mirrors her path. A self‑made founder and college dropout, she swaps pedigree for discipline—relentless consistency, perseverance, and a refusal to quit. That lens guides her picks and post‑investment work: she spots the gap—story, GTM, or credibility—and bridges it fast, forging partnerships across the U.S. and a 12‑country network. “I’m not here to fit a mold—I’m here to break a ceiling,” she said. “We pair capital with communications so women founders win faster—and keep winning.”
The impact is already visible. In health tech, ZavoVentures backs teams that pair science with sharp storytelling to drive adoption. In media tech, it supports platforms reshaping creation and distribution while respecting creators and audiences. Across sectors, one rule holds: founders with a bold, credible, consistent story scale faster—reflected in early picks across tech, health tech, and media tech.
That thesis was clear at The Startup Station’s speed‑pitching event, where rapid rounds demanded sharper cases and cleaner differentiators. Zavo pushed for narrative‑to‑metrics alignment and fluency in market language. The takeaway: brand strategy isn’t cosmetic—it moves valuation.
ZavoVentures is built to change the math for women founders. The 2% figure signals a structural gap. The firm intervenes early at the nexus of pipeline, perception, and proof—sourcing category‑creators, arming them with a compelling platform, and tying communications to concrete traction and milestones—to create a repeatable path beyond 2%.
Founders describe a rigorous, empowering cadence: clarify category and ICP, define “winning” on one page, and sequence launches to support key rounds and partnerships. Integrity is the through‑line—no hype, just a straight line from product truth to market trust. Capital and communication operate as twin engines of growth.
Liana Zavo earned the moniker “Mother of PR” by helping founders find their voice. With the launch of ZavoVentures, her hybrid investment arm, she is helping women secure their future. “We’re not just writing checks—we’re rewriting outcomes for women founders,” Zavo said. In a funding landscape ready for reinvention, her model is more than a differentiator—it is a catalyst. If the next decade belongs to builders who can both execute and communicate, ZavoVentures is already investing in the leaders of that future—and making sure the world knows their names.
As ZavoVentures continues to invest, the playbook remains consistent: select exceptional teams with durable moats, in sectors where narrative leverage accelerates adoption. Apply the hybrid VC+PR model to amplify signal and speed. Build brands that deserve the spotlight—and ensure they have it when it matters most.
